Jake Paul’s June 28 cruiserweight bout with ex‑WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr. at Anaheim’s Honda Center will share the DAZN PPV with unified WBA/WBO king Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez’s defence against Yuniel Dorticos. The unusual double bill has promoter Oscar De La Hoya openly floating a simple sequel: “winners fight,” which would drop the 11‑1 influencer just one victory shy of a world‑title opportunity.
Ramírez claimed WBO title by beating Chris Billam‑Smith now risks against the heavy‑handed Dorticos. If the Mexican retains and Paul upsets Chávez Jr., the pair would leave the ring on the same night with a ready‑made storyline and, crucially, the same promotional house, Golden Boy, to ease negotiations.
Paul’s résumé remains thin on ranked boxers. His lone loss came to Tommy Fury, yet commercial clout is hard to ignore. His November exhibition with Mike Tyson reportedly drew 108 million Netflix viewers and an $18.1 million live gate, dwarfing figures many established champions produce. That sort of leverage could help the YouTuber leapfrog the WBA’s top‑15 requirement, just as Conor McGregor once did in boxing and as MMA stars have in other sanctioning bodies.
Chávez Jr., however, represents Paul’s first opponent to own a major‑belt victory in his prime years, and the 39‑year‑old Mexican has vowed to retire if he loses. Golden Boy sees the matchup as a genuine measuring stick: if Paul handles a career boxer who once went 12 rounds with Canelo Álvarez, arguments that he’s merely beating MMA retirees will fade.
For now the title talk is hypothetical, but the architecture is there. Win in Anaheim and Ramírez keeps the belt; win and Paul keeps the box‑office magic.
Image Credit: DAZN